1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to veterinary products, and particularly a comb for applying a medicated liquid to the hair and/or skin area of a pet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most pets require periodic grooming with a comb or brush. Grooming with a brush or comb eliminates minor entanglements and avoids unsightly and frequently painful matting.
The dense hair of most pets provides an ideal environment for insect infestation, yeast infection, bacterial infections and a host of other skin and hair conditions that are unsightly, unhealthy and frequently painful. Treatment and prevention of the skin and hair ailments of pet animals often requires the application of a medicated liquid, gel or cream. A medicated product typically must be applied over a large area of the pet, and frequently must be provided over the entire pet. This widespread application of the medicated product reflects the fact that parasitic insects and bacteria are highly mobile within the coat of the pet, and can merely move to an untreated location. A surface application of medicated liquid, gel or cream often will not penetrate through the hair and to the skin of the pet. Difficulties of accessing the skin reflect the thickness of the coat on many pets and the liquid repellant oils that may exist in the coats of many pets.
The prior art has included many attempts to provide combs or brushes to facilitate the application of liquid medication to the skin and coats of pets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 710,269 shows a comb with a cylindrical base, including a handle at one end. The end of the base opposite the handle includes a plurality of threadedly tapped apertures. Separate tines are threaded into each of the respective apertures. Each tine is substantially cylindrical, and include an aperture extending entirely therethrough. A spring biased valve is mounted in each tine and has an actuator extending through a passage at the end of the tine remote from the handle. Pressure on this actuator will open the valve in each tine to permit a flow of liquid. This comb would be prohibitedly expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the large cylindrical tines would not be suitable for movement through the dense coat of many pets.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,546,638 shows another comb for dispensing liquid. This comb also includes a hollow handle that is connectable to a reservoir of the liquid. The comb includes a plurality of cylindrical tines having passages extending centrally therethrough. The passages communicate with the hollow handle for delivering the liquid from the handle to the ends of the tines. Once again, the cylindrical tines with the blunt ends are not well suited to movement through the dense coat of most pets. Additionally, the egress openings of the passages at the extreme distal end of each tine would quickly become clogged by skin debris urged into these egress openings as part of normal movement of the comb. Furthermore, the comb shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,546,638 would be prohibitedly expensive to manufacture. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,664,168, 1,693,248, 1,704,959 and 2,265,972 all show combs that are similar to the comb of U.S. Pat. No. 1,546,638. The cylindrical tines on each of these combs are not configured for movement through the dense coat of many pets. Furthermore, each of these combs would be very difficult and expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,470,024, 2,582,533, 2,956,570 and 3,368,569 all are directed to combs having a reservoir handle, an elongate support and tines extending perpendicularly from the elongate support. The comb in each of these patents includes a channel extending from the reservoir through the support and to apertures disposed between the respective tines. Thus, the tines can work their way through the hair, and a fluid can be applied through the apertures in the support from which the tines extend. However, the portions of the comb support having the apertures would be disposed adjacent the top or outer surface of the hair. Thus, combs of this type would offer little benefit over the mere application of medicated solution to the top surface of the hair of a pet. As noted above, in many situations the medicated solution applied to the surface of the coat of a pet would not penetrate through that coat, and hence would not reach areas of the skin requiring treatment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,706 shows a similar structure, but is intended for use with a toothbrush. More particularly, a toothpaste is urged into a space between conventional bristles of a toothbrush. Reissue Pat. No. Re. 25,585 shows another similar structure for directing a liquid between bristles of a brush or between tines of a comb.
All of the above-described references appear to be designed and intended for use by humans on their own hair. The prior art does, however, include patents directed to liquid dispensing brushes for pets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,822 shows a medicated brush for a pet. The brush includes a rigid, solid handle and a hollow head connected to the handle. One side of the head includes conventional bristles. The opposed side of the head includes a rectangular array of substantially cylindrical projections, each of which has a rounded end remote from the head of the brush. Each projection further includes an axial passage which communicates with the reservoir within the hollow head of the brush. Fluid is intended to be dispensed from the reservoir in the hollow head of the brush through the passage formed centrally in each cylindrical projection. Once again, these cylindrical projections with rounded bottoms are not well suited to working their way through the tangled coat of a pet. Thus, the pet's coat would have to be untangled initially by the conventional bristles on one side of the brush. The opposed side of the brush with the cylindrical projections then could possibly be worked through the coat for applying liquid to the vicinity of the skin. The cylindrical projections of this complex brush are diametrically much greater than the conventional bristles on the brush. Thus, even a careful working with the conventional bristles would not provide assurance that the cylindrical projections could be worked through the pet's coat for applying the liquid to the region of the skin. Furthermore egress openings at the extreme distal end of each bristle would be clogged by skin debris. Once again, the apparatus shown in this patent would be extremely difficult and costly to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,738 is directed to a no tangle pet brush. The brush includes conventional bristles extending from a head. A pump spray is disposed in the head and can be actuated to direct a fine mist of liquid between the respective bristles. This brush would not be well suited to applying medicated material that is not capable of generating an aerosol mist. Furthermore, this brush merely would apply the liquid to the outer surface of the coat, and would not necessarily penetrate to the skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,913 is directed to a brush having a flexible handle and a plurality of flexible substantially cylindrical or frustom shaped bristles. Some of the bristles include a central aperture that communicates with the reservoir in the hollow handle. These hollow bristles terminate at small slots that normally are in a substantially closed condition. Movement of the brush in one direction will cause these hollow projections to deflect in a direction that tightly closes the slits. However, movement of the brush in the opposed direction will deflect the hollow members in a direction that will slightly open the slits. Once again, these blunt ended hollow members are not well suited to working their way through the tangled coat of a pet. Furthermore, this brush would be difficult and costly to manufacture, and the theoretically openable slits would be difficult to control. Additionally, the requirement for flexibility of the hollow members would further reduce the effectiveness for working the brush through tangled hair on many pets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,154 shows a veterinary brush similar to the above-described U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,913. However, instead of providing deflectable hollow members with slits that are selectively opened or closed, U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,154 shows a slide member adjacent the reservoir of fluid. The slide member includes spaced apart apertures that are selectively alignable with or offset from the hollow members through which a liquid may be dispensed. Once again, this device is very complex and costly to manufacture and the tines are not well suited to working their way through a tangled coat of a pet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,480 shows a comb with a hollow reservoir handle having two separate reservoirs and an ability to open one reservoir while closing the other reservoir. The comb of U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,480 includes a first array of hollow substantially cylindrical tines that communicate with the first reservoir and a second array of hollow substantially cylindrical tines that communicate with the second reservoir. The distal end of each tine is rounded hemispherically and includes an opening that communicates with the hollow interior of the tine and with the associated reservoir. Once again, these blunt-ended tines are not configured for untangling the coat of a pet.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a comb that enables application of a flowable medication to the skin and coat of a pet.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a liquid applicator comb that is easily and inexpensively manufacturable.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a liquid applicator comb that can be reused with different supplies of a flowable medication.
It is still a further object of the subject invention to provide a liquid applicator comb that is well suited to working through a dense coat of hair on a pet, while simultaneously preventing damage or injury to the skin of the pet.
It is still a further object of the subject invention to provide an applicator comb for uniformly delivering medication to each of the applicator tines.